Transcript

1.
10 Amazing Indian
Safaris

2.
Hemis National Park
• Best for: Snow leopards, Tibetan argali sheep, Ibex, Urial (a wild
mountain goat), Blue sheep, chukhar, snow cocks, golden eagles.
• Logistics: In order to popularize
the plight of the snow leopard and
show travelers what's at stake,
researchers from the U.S.-based
Snow Leopard Conservancy have
teamed up with tour operators to
organize winter treks through in
park. It’s located in Ladakh, a
trans-Himalayan region within
the state of Jammu-Kashmir in
northwestern India; the nearest
airport is 30 mountainous miles
away in the city of Leh.

3.
Sasan-Gir Wildlife Sanctuary
• Best for: Asiatic Lions, leopards, hyenas, pythons, jackals
• Logistics: Located on Western
India’s Gujarat Peninsula, across the
Bay of Cambay from Mumbai on
the Arabian Sea, this park’s rugged
scrubland and forests are most
effectively explored on a Jeep
safari. India’s lions don’t sport
massive manes like those in Africa,
but they’re just as imposing. Peak
wildlife viewing is from December
to April; the park closes mid-June
through monsoon season in mid-
September.

4.
Ranthambore National Park
• Best for: Tigers, spotted deer, wild boar, jackals, painted storks (300 bird
species overall), plus impressive ruins, forts, and temples
• Logistics: A former royal hunting
preserve, Ranthambore lies 111 miles
south of Jaipur and 285 miles southwest
of New Delhi. Access to the park is
strictly limited to just 15 government-
operated safari Jeeps per day, and you
must make reservations two months in
advance directly through the park
(which can be a hassle). May is when to
see cats; the park closes from June to
October.

5.
Kaziranga National Park
• Best for: One-horned rhinoceros, tigers, (wild) elephants, wild buffalo,
monitor lizards, and water birds like the bar-headed goose, grey-headed
lapwing, and spot-billed pelican
• Logistics: The grass literally grows as
high as an elephant’s eye at this
106,000-acre park in Assam—the most
easily accessible state in India’s far
northeast. A five-hour drive from the
state capital of Guwahati in east India
(670 miles from Calcutta), the park lies
northeast of the narrow neck of land
between Nepal and Bangladesh along
the shores of the Brahmaputra River. A
bird census of nearly 500 species makes
Kaziranga a must for ornithologists,
while February boasts chances of
seeing resident mega-fauna. Arrival of
monsoon season in April determines
park closures.

6.
Kanha National Park
• Best for: Tigers, swamp deer, mongoose, leopards, wild boar, golden
jackals, 300 bird species
• Logistics: The Jungle Book author
Rudyard Kipling found inspiration
in Kanha, and when you need a
tiger fix, this park offers as close to a
guarantee as you’ll get.
Approximately 125 tigers reside in
the park, and guides spend
considerable amounts of time
scouting their locations. More flights
to Madhya Pradesh mean better
access to central India; Jabalpur’s
airport is 75 miles from the park.
Good viewing months are from
March to June; the park closes from
June to September.

7.
Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary
• Best for: Giant Malabar squirrels, (wild) elephants, guar (giant bison), bird
life
• Logistics: Located in the Western
Ghat mountain range, this
picturesque, 192,000-acre wildlife
sanctuary offers a supremely lush
habitat in eastern Kerala on India’s
southwest coast. Tiger sightings
are uncommon, but there’s plenty
to see and do. Birders enjoy the
park for its tropical species;
boaters can watch elephants
gather at the water’s edge; and
those on foot have a chance to
meet the bashful guar up close.
The park is open year-round, but
is almost unbearably crowded
from September to December.

8.
Keoladeo Ghana National Park
• Best for: Storks, cranes, eagles, and hawks, pythons, porcupines, wild boar,
nilgai (literally 'blue cow'), India’s largest native antelope
• Logistics: If there’s one Indian
refuge truly for the birds, it’s this
one in southern Rajasthan—31
miles from Agra and a three-hour
drive from Delhi. Merely 11
square miles, the car-free park is
navigable on foot or bicycle; or
hire a cycle-rickshaw at the
entrance. Open year round, the
best birding is from September to
March.

9.
Bandhavgarh National Park
• Best for: Tigers, leopards, nilgai, hog deer, wild boar
• Logistics: Set amid the plains of
Madhya Pradesh in central
India, this is a relatively small
preserve—with the country’s
highest concentration of tigers.
The park is open October to
June; April, May, and June are
ideal for tiger sightings.
Bandhavgarh is a six-hour drive
from Kanha National Park—an
excellent twofer if you have time.

10.
Manas Wildlife Sanctuary
• Best for: Tigers, water buffalo, rhinos, (wild) elephants, golden langur (a
rare orange-furred monkey), Bengal florican (an endangered two-foot-tall
bird)
• Logistics: Situated on the border
between Bhutan and Assam,
India, this refuge is a four-hour
drive from the city of Guwahati
(and near Kaziranga park). Safari
options include Jeep tours and
elephant rides, plus outboard raft
excursions on the water. The park
is open from October to April;
January to March is peak period
for fine weather and wildlife
spotting.

11.
Corbett Tiger Reserve
• Best for: Tigers, wild elephants (as opposed to the ones you can ride),
crocodiles, 600 species of birds
• Logistics: India’s first official
national park is in the state of
Uttarakhand, some 200 miles north
of New Delhi in the foothills of the
Himalayas. Two main entrances
(Ramnagar and Bijrani) welcome
guests on the west side of the park.
Mammal sightings are best from
March to June, while birds are best
seen from mid-December to March;
most of the park is closed June 15-
mid-November.

12.
ABOUT US
Getupandgo.in is an adventure travel company that operates out of Mumbai
and Chennai, focused on helping create life changing travel experiences for
people from all walks of life.
CONTACT US
Getupandgo.in,
Brindavan Apartments,
19 Khader Nawaz Khan Road,
Chennai 600006, India
Website: www.getupandgo.in